May 2023 - 34

CULTURE REPORT
TGeumempo Series
BY CHUCK PAVLICH
B
earing the common name avens, the geum genus is
experiencing a renewed interest from the gardening
public. The moniker avens has a muddled origin
with roots in Ireland, England and France. Its Medieval
Latin name meant " a kind of clover. " Whatever one ends
up calling geum, it is a sure bet that the likes of the Tempo
series have not been seen before.
Terra Nova Nurseries took a critical look at what needed
improvement in this genus and set out to give it a beneficial
makeover. Not only were new flower colors achieved, but
the careful breeding work also added weeks to the bloom
period and fulfilled promises that other breeders couldn't
back up. Simply put: better flowers, better foliage and
better habit. By introducing new species to the genetic
mix, Terra Nova Nurseries achieved what hadn't been done
prior, namely greatly lengthened flowering period and the
ability to rebloom again later in the year. Overall, geums are
among the least fussy of all perennials, often surviving for
a generation in gardens and developing woody stems like
their rose bush cousins.
Geum 'Tempo Orange' is the plant that started Terra
Nova on its quest to remake an old genus and breathe new
life into a garden workhorse. The dense, mounded habit
of this plant combined with short, branched flower stalks
Yellow
and excellent quality foliage stood out from its
competitors - in a big way! Muted orange flowers
shift to a soft peachy-taupe color and then drop
petals neatly.
Terra Nova's geum 'Tempo Yellow' came next in the
lineup. Featuring large, semi-double primrose-yellow
flowers, 'Tempo Yellow' mirrors 'Tempo Orange' nicely with
the same excellent habit (especially for a yellow). With a
high flower count and superior summertime foliage, there
is no need to hide this beauty with summer annuals and no
need to shear back plants because they are flagging and
covering other plants. The flowers of 'Tempo Yellow' have a
pleasing color shift from primrose-yellow to light peach and
then to neutral champagne.
'Tempo Rose' is a gem. No other geum has this color
flower that hovers over red-black stems for weeks on end.
Flower buds emerge the color of a good rosé wine and
progress onward to mid-pink and then pale pink. Perhaps
the longest blooming of the series, 'Tempo Rose' is blessed
with an outstanding habit - only slightly more upright
than its siblings - and is stunning when planted en masse.
In mixed containers, 'Tempo Rose' mixes brilliantly with
purple, silver or black foliage.
PROPAGATION
Plants of the geum Tempo series are available as liners
from tissue culture. Because they are genetically compact,
they don't produce good cuttings; thus, they are not
available from cutting farms.
From the liner stage, maintain an optimal root zone
temperature of 60 to 70° F. Begin feeding at 75 to
150 ppm nitrogen, maintaining an EC between 0.7 and
1.0. Avoid using ammoniacal type fertilizers, especially
when young. These plants were bred for flower products
and appreciate a fertilizer for flowering perennials. When
34
MAY 2023 GPNMAG.COM
Orange
This new perennial series is bringing geum back to gardens
with longer flowering time and a reblooming period.
Rose
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May 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2023
